Evaluating the Safety and Quality of Diagnostic Colonoscopies Performed by General Surgeons: A Retrospective Study

Introduction Colonoscopy, which is a challenging procedure and requires adequate time to master the skill, is the procedure of choice to visualize colonic mucosa to rule out many colonic pathologies. There is a dearth of published information from real clinical experiences regarding successful procedures and limitations. The end point of colonoscopy is the visualization of the cecal pole by intubating the cecum. Many Europeans and English health organizations recommend that the procedure should have a completion rate of around or above 90%. Gut preparation is an important determinant for a successful procedure and obviates the need for further invasive and/or expensive procedures such as imaging. The majority of colonoscopies are being performed by gastroenterologists (GI) throughout the world, and the role of a surgeon as an endoscopist is in debate. Before this study, neither a retrospective nor a prospective evaluation of the general surgeon's (GS) endoscopy's quality and safety had been evaluated in our institution. Material and method This retrospective observational study was carried out from 1 January 2022 to 31 August 2022 in the Department of Surgery at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, to evaluate colonoscopy completion rates, reason for failure, and complications in terms of bleeding and perforation. All patients undergoing lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (LGiE), both elective and emergency, were included. Patients under 15 years of age and patients known to be hepatitis B-positive or hepatitis C-positive were excluded from the study. All relevant data were entered into a data sheet. Qualitative variables such as gender, cecal intubation, adjusted cecal intubation, gut preparation, reasons for failed colonoscopy, analgesia use, and complications (bleeding and perforation) were calculated as frequency and percentage. Quantitative data such as age and pain score were reported as mean and standard deviation (SD). Details obtained were tabulated and analyzed via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY). Results A total of 57 patient data were collected; 35.1% (n=20) were female, and 64.9% (n=37) were males. The cecal intubation rate (CIR) was 49.1% (n=28), and the adjusted rate was 71.9%, excluding incompleteness due to mass obstructing lumen, 8.8% (n=5); planned left colonoscopy, 7% (n=4); sigmoidoscopy, 3.5% (n=2); distal stoma scope, 1.8% (n=1); and colonic stricture, 1.8% (n=1). The prevalent reason for failed colonoscopy was inadequate gut preparation (15.8% {n=9}). Other reasons include patient discomfort, 3.5% (n=2); looping of scope, 7% (n=4); and acute colonic angulation, 1.8% (n=1). No complications were recorded. Conclusion This study shows that colonoscopy can be done by general surgeons safely and effectively with adequate training. High rates of cecal intubation emerge during colonoscopies performed under deep sedation and by skilled colonoscopists. Adequate bowel preparatory regimen is compulsory for quality procedure.